Ordnance.



PATENTED MAY 23. 190'5.v

W. R.SMITH. ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. zo. 1904.

'Unteren Salaries fatented May 23, 1905.

Pari-nar Orricia.

ORDINANCE.,

SPEGFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,664, dated May 23, 1905.'

Application filed February 20, 1904. Serial No. 194,510.

To all whom, it 77mg/ concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. SMITH, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ordnance, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ordnance.

- The object of my invention is to provide a gun or other piece of ordnance with means whereby the bore and interior of the gun will be kept comparatively cooland which will pei'- mitof a ready cleansing of the bore as the projectile is lired.

To this end the invention consists in the iniproved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which siiiiilar reference characters indicate similar parts in all of the views, Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional vieW of a gun, showing the general airangement of the parts. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the breech portion of the gun. In the drawings, 5 represents a gunhaving the usual bore 6 and tiring-chamber 7, the rear of the latter being closed by a breech-block 8 of any preferred construction, it being understood that the block with the'firing-pin in position therein substantially seals the firingchamber, as usual in breech-loading ordnance. It is to be also understood that the gun may be of any type and adapted either for use with s iixed or loose ammunition.

Within the walls of the gun are formed l openings 9, which ai'e inclined in a direction relatively to the axis oi the gun, said openings leading to theouter surface of the gun, at which point provision is inadeior the attach-` iiient of a suitable connection l() of a pipeline ll, which in turn is connected with asiiitable air-compressing device. (Not shown.) Each of the openings 9 provided with a check-valve 12 of suitable character, the drawings showing such valve conventionally, it being understood that the valve is arranged to open toward the bore of the gun to pei-init of the entrance of the compressed air when desiied, as hereinafter specified. The inner ends of the openingswill be preferably located at the bottom of the grooves forming the riding of the gun, so as not to interfere with the passage of the projectile. The openings Qare.- arranged at suitable intervals throughout the 'length of the gun, as shown, all of the openings being in the walls of the gun and forward of the breech-block. rlhe number of openings 9 is governed by the size, Sac., of the gun, andthe relative arrangement of such openings may be made as desired. As heretofore pointed out, the openings 9 are inclined rearwardly. Hence the admission of the-air is in the direction toward that taken by the projectile, there-A by reducing any tendency to check the passage ofthe projectile, any tendency to the formation of a vacuum behind the projectile heingeliminated by the admission of the air in a direction following that taken during the movement of the projectile.`

In practice the admission `f\compressed air will be controlled by any suitable means, so that it may be admitted as soon as the explosion takes place, so as to cool the gun and force unexploded gases and iiaiiie out of the muzzle.

While I have herein pointed out one of the forms in which my invention can be carried out, it is to be understood that I reserive the right to use such modifications thereof as may be found desirable -and which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as ex-V pressed, in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claini as new ism 1. A breech-loading gun having a plurality of inclined openings leading' into the bore of the gun forward of the breech-block, and

Ameans for connecting said openings witha source of compressed air independent of the gun. i

2. A. breech-loading gun having a liring.

chamber'and bore, and havingopenings lead- Y -for introducing air under compression to said openings. r

6. A breech-loading gun havlng an openlng through its body into the bore independent of the breech-block, and a source of compressed air connected with said opening, means being provided for preventing back pressure being 20 communicated to the source of compressed air, and means whereby said source of compressed air may be charged independent of the gun.

7. A breech-loading gun having an inclined opening through its body into the bore, means forconn'ecting said opening with a source of `iuid under pressure, means being provided for preventing back pressure being communicated to said source, and means whereby said source may be charged independent of the gun. v

In testimony whereof Ihave affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

J. E. AVooRHIs, MHJLARD F. BOWEN. 

